Bulk compounder manifold

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a manifold for receiving fluid tubes in a bulk compounder. In its simplest form, the manifold includes a plurality of inlets, each inlet defining an opening to a respective fluid passageway, and each passageway contains a check-valve. Included in this manifold is an outlet in fluid communication with the fluid passageways and an inlet port which is coaxial with the outlet. The coaxial inlet port contains a check-valve. Included as a part of the present invention is a cannula adapted for use with the manifold of the present invention, tube sets for use with the manifold of the present invention, and a method of minimizing error in filling a bag using a manifold in accordance with the present invention.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/727,930, filed Dec. 4, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,951,228.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to bulk nutritional compounders and morespecifically to manifolds for use in bulk nutritional compounders.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hyperalimentation therapy is the intravenous feeding of nutrients topatients. A typical solution would include a protein-carbohydratemixture. It is used primarily to meet the patient's protein and caloricrequirements which are unable to be satisfied by oral feeding. Theprotein may be in the form of free-amino acids or protein hydrolysateand the carbohydrate commonly is dextrose. In addition to the proteinand carbohydrate, vitamins (water-soluble and fat-soluble) andelectrolytes also can be supplied in this therapy.

Each of these parenteral ingredients and the combination thereof areparticularly susceptible to the growth of deleterious organisms and itis desirable that they be administered to the patient in a sterilecondition. In addition, the solutions are tailor made to specificpatient requirements under the direction of a physician. Thus, becausethese protein and carbohydrate solutions must be combined close to theirtime of use, their compounding must be performed under sterileconditions to avoid organism growth.

As a part of this compounding, the solutions that are to be administeredintravenously are transferred into a total parental nutrition bag(commonly referred to as a TPN bag). Such bags are designed for home useor use in a hospital or care facility. Once filled they can be storedfor a limited period of time in a standard refrigerator. The bags arefilled with the solutions by a pharmacist either by gravity or by adevice known as a high speed bulk compounder. Such compounders typicallyare capable of supplying solutions from up to nine different source bagsor containers to a receiving product bag at relatively high flow rates.

The source containers may be hung from a framework of the compounderwhile the receiving bag is hung from a load cell that measures theweight of the receiving bag. A pump set consisting of a number of pumplegs (for example, nine or more such legs) or flow paths is designed tobe used with the compounder. Each of the pump legs includes flexibletubing and terminates on one end with a piercing administration spike orsimilar connector that is used to connect the leg of the pump set to oneof the source containers. The other end of each leg is coupled to one ofthe inlet ports of a common manifold equipped with an exit port that isadapted to be coupled to a fill tubing connected to the receiving TPNproduct bag.

In those instances where a high-speed compounder is used, each leg ofthe pump set is associated with a different peristaltic pump or pumpstation of the compounder. A microprocessor in the compounder controlseach of the peristaltic pumps or pump stations to thereby control theamount of solution being supplied from each source container through theparticular pump leg and the manifold to the receiving product bag. Theamount of solution being supplied from each source container is in partdetermined by information being supplied to the microprocessor of theweight being measured at selected times by the load cell from which thereceiving bag is suspended. The peristaltic pumps draw solutions fromeach of the source containers sequentially under the control of themicroprocessor and the solutions flow through the common manifold andthe fill tubing into the receiving product bag.

A typical compounder would have several source bags and affiliatedtubes. Typically, there are six or nine pumping stations for six or ninedifferent source solutions. The microprocessor in the compounder isprogrammed to sequentially fill the product bag with each ingredient,one at a time, by sequentially activating each of the six pump stationsindividually so that the solutions from each source bag are transferredvia the common manifold and the fill tubing to the product bag. Then,after the product bag is supplied with the required amount of fluids,the fill tubing from the product bag is sealed.

Because all tubes in such a configuration flow into a common manifold,but only one fluid at a time is pumped through the common manifold, itis possible that some fluid from a particular source bag flows backthrough the common manifold and into a feed tube from another source bagcontaining a different fluid. The fluid that does flow back into adifferent feed tube is not weighed as a part of the product bag and thecompounder microprocessor does not recognize that fluid as a part of theoverall make-up of the product bag. The problem with this is that oncethe product bag receives the weight of a particular ingredient, themicroprocessor shuts off that respective pump and turns to the nextsource bag. The microprocessor begins pumping the fluid from that secondsource bag into the product bag but in so doing causes the backed-up andstored fluid from the first product bag in that supply tube to now flowinto the manifold and ultimately into the product bag. At that point,however, the weight gain in the product bag is recognized by thecompounder microprocessor as being due to the second fluid. This errorleads to the situation where too much of the first fluid is present inthe product bag and not enough of the second fluid is present in thebag.

A related problem arises when one of the fluids to be introduced intothe product bag is a lipid solution. Lipid solutions are essentially fatemulsions and typically are placed into a separate compartment withinthe product bag which is isolated from the remaining mixture untilimmediately before (or very soon before) the solution is administered toa patient. This isolation is necessary because the lipid solution, ifmixed with the other ingredients ahead of time, clouds the overallsolution mixture and renders it unusable. This phenomena is known in theart as “hazing.” Because of the undesirability of mixing lipids with theother solutions prior to the time of administration, a problem hasexisted in the prior art where a residual amount of the lipid solutionis allowed to remain in a common volume of the manifold after a lipidsolution is pumped through but before the next non-lipid solution ispumped through. When the subsequent solution is pumped through, theresidual lipid solution is carried into the product bag and hazingresults.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a manifold for receiving fluid tubes in abulk compounder. In its simplest form, the manifold comprises aplurality of inlets, each inlet defining an opening to a respectivefluid passageway, and each passageway contains a check-valve. Includedin this manifold is an outlet in fluid communication with the fluidpassageways, and an inlet port which is coaxial with the outlet. Thecoaxial inlet port preferably contains a check-valve.

Also included as a part of the present invention is a manifold set forreceiving fluid tubes in a bulk compounder. The manifold set comprises amanifold and a cannula. The manifold comprises a plurality of inlets,each inlet defining an opening to a respective fluid passageway, eachpassageway containing a check-valve, an outlet in fluid communicationwith the fluid passageways; and an inlet port which is coaxial with theoutlet, the coaxial inlet port also containing a check-valve. Thecannula has at least one male blunt tip for insertion into theself-sealing membrane, and preferably includes a female port disposedwithin the male blunt tip.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a manifold forreceiving fluid tubes in a bulk compounder is provided having aplurality of inlets, each inlet defining an opening to a respectivefluid passageway, with each passageway containing a check-valve. Theplurality of inlets are disposed radially around a center inlet, and anoutlet is provided in fluid communication with all of the fluidpassageways and center inlet. The outlet and the center inlet have thesame central axis.

Also included as a part of the present invention is a tube set for usein bulk compounding. The tube set comprises a plurality of pumpsections, each pump section having a distal end. Also included is aplurality of tubes, each tube of the plurality having a distal end and aproximal end, with each proximal end of each tube of the pluralityattached to the distal end of a respective pump section. Additionally,each distal end of each tube of the plurality is attached to a manifold,wherein the manifold comprises a plurality of inlets, each inletdefining an opening to a respective fluid passageway, each passagewaycontaining a check-valve. The manifold includes an outlet in fluidcommunication with the fluid passageways.

A preferred tube set in accordance with the invention comprises aplurality of pump sections, each pump section having a distal end and aproximal end, a first plurality of tubes, each tube of the firstplurality attached to the proximal end of a respective pump section, anda second plurality of tubes, each tube of the second plurality having adistal end and a proximal end, with each proximal end of each tube ofthe second plurality attached to the distal end of a respective pumpsection. The distal end of each tube of the second plurality is attachedto a manifold. The manifold comprises a plurality of inlets, each inletdefining an opening to a respective fluid passageway, each passagewaycontaining a check-valve, and an outlet in fluid communication with thefluid passageways.

Also included in the present invention is a method of minimizing errorin the filling of a product bag in a bulk compounding system. The methodcomprises the steps of providing a manifold with a minimum common volumeto minimize residual holding of any one ingredient solution, and passingindividual ingredient solutions through the manifold to fill a productbag. Error is reduced because of the minimization of the manifold commonvolume step.

Still also included as a part of the present invention is a cannula forattaching two fluid channels. The cannula comprises at least one maleblunt tip end for insertion into a first fluid source, and a female portformed within the male blunt tip end to allow connection of the cannulato a different fluid source wherein the different fluid source has amale end.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is best understood from the following detailed descriptionwhen read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a device according to thepresent invention, including a manifold body portion, valve housings,and an outlet tube connector;

FIG. 2 illustrates a tube set in accordance with the present inventionusing the manifold of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 a shows a cross-sectional view of the main body portion of themanifold of FIG. 1 without valve housings or the outlet tube connectorshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 b shows an exploded view of the main body portion shown in FIG. 3a;

FIG. 3 c shows an exploded view like that of FIG. 3 b but with only sixtotal inlet ports;

FIG. 4 shows a top view of the manifold shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 a shows a cross-sectional view of a valve housing in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 5 b shows an exploded view of the valve housing shown in FIG. 5 a;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an outlet tube connector inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a male blunt cannula used inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows the male blunt cannula of FIG. 7 inserted into an outlettube connector in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of a linear manifold embodiment inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 10 a is an exploded view of the linear manifold shown in FIG. 9;and

FIG. 10 b is a view of the assembled device shown in FIG. 10 a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a manifold having a one-way valve, orcheck valve, disposed within each inlet of the manifold. Additionally,the manifold has a plurality of inlets, with at least one inlet disposedproximate to, and coaxially with, an outlet. The purpose of thecoaxially disposed inlet/outlet is to minimize the volume through whichthe solution passed into the coaxial inlet must travel, thereby loweringthe amount of potential residue that can be left behind by thatparticular solution. In a preferred embodiment, this line is used totransport a lipid solution. Other aspects of the manifold according tothe present invention which will be described in more detail below alsocontribute to the reduction in common volume thereby reducing error inthe final product bag composition due to residue buildup within themanifold.

FIG. 1 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a manifold 10 inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In thisembodiment, manifold 10 has a main body portion 100, a plurality ofvalve housings 200, and an outlet tube connecter 300. Specifically, eachof a plurality of inlets 220 leads to a respective fluid passageway 221,in which is disposed a check-valve disk 210. As used herein, the terms,“check-valve” and “one-way valve” are intended to be synonymous. Fluidpassed across each check-valve disk 210 flows along its respective flowpath through flow channels 222 in main body portion 100 and into acommon central chamber 215 which is in fluid communication with eachrespective flow channel 222 and, subsequently, each fluid passageway221. Common central chamber 215 fluidly connects all of the flowchannels 222 and center port 140 (discussed in more detail below) tomanifold outlet port 310 and ultimately to manifold outlet tubeconnector 300.

In the case of a preferred embodiment, each of the three main components(main body portion 100, a plurality of valve housings 200, and an outlettube connecter 300) can be fabricated independently and joined togetherto form a single device made up of its individual components.Preferably, each of these three main components is ultrasonically weldedto its respective mate. The means of joining the components arediscussed in detail below. The primary advantage to such a constructionis ease of manufacture.

The manifold could be made from any of a number of suitable materials,including plastics, such as polycarbonates, that are suitable to handlethe pharmaceutical and food preparations that will be passingtherethrough. The suitable materials should also preferably be such thatthey can be injection molded to form the parts of the device, or thewhole device, and one skilled in the art would know such materials.

More specifically, FIG. 1 shows valve housings 200 which are connectedto their respective manifold main body portion openings 110. In apreferred embodiment, the valve housings 200 are connected to theirrespective manifold main body portion openings 110 by ultrasonicwelding. Ultrasonic welding is a technique known to those skilled in theart for fastening plastic to plastic. Additional means of connectioncould be employed, however, including solvent welding, adhesives,snap-fittings, flanges, or any other suitable connection known to oneskilled in the art.

FIG. 2 shows a manifold 10 in accordance with the present inventiondisposed at the end of a tube set 500. In this particular embodiment,manifold 10 has nine inlets, one for each feed tube 201–209. In thisconfiguration, feed tubes 201–209 carrying respective fluids, such asfrom a pump disposed between the manifold 10 and respective fluid sourcebags (not shown), are connected to the top openings 220 of valvehousings 200. Preferably, feed tubes 201–209 are connected to manifold10 by having each of their distal ends placed over its respective topopening 220 of each respective valve housing 200. These tubes would beattached via friction fit or other means known to those skilled in theart, including with the use of adhesives. FIG. 2 also shows upper tubes211–219, each of which extends from a respective source bag (not shown)as noted above. Pump sections 231–239 are shown connecting the proximalends of feed tubes 201–209 to the distal ends of upper tubes 211–219.These pump sections are where the pump (not shown) operates on the tubeset.

FIG. 2 also shows tubing organizer 291 attached to the macro compoundertransfer set. Tubing organizer 291 is preferably a semi-flexible plasticmember that aligns the tubing pump segments (e.g. 6 or 9) for easyinsertion into the compounder. The organizer includes an offset railthat acts as a key to insure that the pump segments are loaded in propersequence left to right. The organizer also acts as a packaging aid toprevent tangling of the set inside the finished package.

FIG. 1 also shows a center port 140 which is coaxial with outlet tubeconnector 300. Preferably, and as shown in FIG. 1, check-valve disk 150(a one-way valve) is disposed within center port 140. The details ofsuitable check-valves are discussed in more detail below, but generallyare known to those skilled in the art. The fact that center port 140 isproximate to, and coaxial with, manifold outlet port 310 and,ultimately, manifold outlet tube connector 300, is important wherecenter port 140 is intended to be used as a means to deliver a lipidsolution to the product bag. As discussed above, the presence of lipidresidue within the manifold is deleterious. Thus, by minimizing eitheror both of the common volume within the manifold where any such lipidsolution could accumulate, and the flow volume within the manifold forthe lipid fluid itself, one achieves a concomitant reduction in theamount of any residue of lipids that could later be passed to the wrongpart of the product bag. This is one advantage realized by the presentinvention's placement of the lipid port, or opening, in line with theexit port. Such a configuration achieves the smallest possible volumethrough which the lipid solution needs to pass within the manifold,thereby minimizing any lipid residue.

FIG. 3 a shows a view of manifold body portion 100 without valvehousings 200 or outlet tube connector 300. In this particularembodiment, manifold main body portion 100, as discussed above, has acenter port 140 which is coaxial with manifold outlet port 310 and hascheck-valve disk 150 disposed within it. As shown in the drawings,manifold main body portion 100 is comprised of manifold top 240,manifold bottom 250, and manifold gasket 260 disposed therebetween. Apreferable material of construction for the gasket is silicone. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 3 a, center port 140 is formed as a part ofmanifold top 240, and manifold outlet port 310 is formed as a part ofmanifold bottom 250.

As noted above, FIG. 3 a shows gasket 260 which fluidly seals top 240 tobottom 250 and along with flow channels 222 formed in top 240 formsrespective fluid passageways as discussed in more detail below. Top 240and bottom 250 can be attached in any number of ways known to thoseskilled in the art, including by ultrasonic welding. In order to aid inultrasonic welding, male protrusion 270 extending from top 240 intofemale portion 280 formed in bottom 250 can be molded into therespective halves.

FIG. 3 b shows an exploded view of the components discussed above withrespect to FIG. 3 a. Specifically, top 240 is shown with nine inletports, including eight radially disposed inlets 110 and center port 140.Also, eight flow channels 222 are shown formed in top 240. Check-valvedisk 150 is a silicone disk disposed atop a mounting point 251 formed onbottom 250. As noted above, to aid in ultrasonic welding, protrusionsmay be formed on any suitable part. Shown in FIG. 3 b are protrusions252 formed on bottom 250. FIG. 3 c shows a similar view as that which isshown in FIG. 3 b but illustrates an embodiment having a total of onlysix ports.

FIG. 4 shows a view of the manifold as shown in FIG. 3 b but from thetop (or proximal) side of the manifold having manifold openings 110disposed radially outward from center port 140. As discussed above,fluid flow channels 222 are formed in manifold top 240 which, along withgasket 260, form individual flow channels connecting each inlet fluidpassageway 221 with common central chamber 215. The manifold should becapable of delivering fluid at the rate of approximately one liter in 60seconds. It is also preferable that the residual or common volume insidethe manifold be less than two milliliters, with the smaller the commonvolume the better.

As can be seen in FIGS. 3 b, 3 c, and 4, each fluid passageway (with theexception of center port 140) is configured in a radial pattern with itsown respective radial flow path and flow channel 222, each of whichleads to common central chamber 215. Such a configuration, along withthe presence of gasket 260, helps further an important part of theinvention as discussed above, namely the minimizing of any common volumewithin the manifold. By providing these individual flow paths from eachmanifold opening 110 all the way to common central chamber 215, onlycommon central chamber 215 of the manifold sees fluid from all sourcebags, instead of the entire space between manifold top 240 and manifoldbottom 250 (such as would be the case without gasket 260). This minimumvolume is further aided by the fluid passageways preferably having asemi-circular cross-section that results in high flow rates.

FIG. 5 a shows a cross-sectional view of a single valve housing 200. Asdiscussed above with respect to FIG. 1, valve housing 200 can beconstructed as a single piece (not shown) or in pieces and thenassembled to form a modular device. As shown in the drawings, apreferred valve housing 200 is modular and is comprised of valve upperhalf 230 and valve lower half 290. In this preferred embodiment, valveupper half 230 is solvent welded to valve lower half 290, andcheck-valve disk 210 is disposed therebetween atop a valve seat, namelymounting point 501. Solvent welding is known to those skilled in theart. A preferred solvent is methylene chloride, or a mixture ofmethylene chloride and tetrahydrofuran. Other means of connecting thevalve halves would be known to those skilled in the art, however, andwould include adhesives or ultrasonic welding. Moreover, the one-wayvalves as disclosed herein could take any of a number of forms known tothose skilled in the art. Preferably, they would comprise a check-valvedisk, preferably made from a silicone elastomer, disposed on apolycarbonate valve seat. FIG. 5 b shows an exploded view of valvehousing 200. Shown in FIG. 5 b are valve upper half 230, check-valvedisk 210, and valve lower half 290 containing mounting point 501.

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of an exemplary outlet tubeconnector 300 by itself. As noted above with respect to FIG. 1, outlettube connector 300 is preferably ultrasonically welded to manifoldoutlet port 310, although other means of connection would be known tothose skilled in the art. FIG. 6 shows outlet tube connector includingconnector cap 400 which is attached to the distal end 410 of outlet tubeconnector 300 (the distal end being defined as the end furthest frommanifold body portion 100). Connector cap 400 is attached via hinge 415which is, in this embodiment, integrally formed with connector cap 400and connector retention ring 420 which extends around distal end 410 ofoutlet tube connector 300.

Disposed between retention ring 420 and distal end 410 of outlet tubeconnector 300 is connector septum 440. This is generally a self-sealingmembrane designed to close the opening when an outlet line is notconnected to outlet tube connector 300. When a product bag is ready tobe filled, a fill line to the product bag, typically having a spikedcannula (connector) or blunt cannula, is thrust or pushed into septum440 to create a fluid communication between the fill line and manifoldoutlet tube connector 300. Self-sealing membranes of this type are knownto those skilled in the art.

A preferred connection between the product bag fill line and outlet tubeconnector 300 is a blunt cannula connector. In accordance with thepresent invention, an exemplary blunt cannula is shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7shows a blunt male cannula 700 having a female port 710 on at least oneend. FIG. 7 shows blunt male cannula 700 disposed on the end of productbag fill line 720. The end having female port 710 is the end which wouldbe thrust into the septum in order to establish fluid flow as describedabove. The advantage to having a female port disposed within a malecannula is seen when one realizes how these TPN bags are typically used.

Often, after a TPN product bag has been filed in accordance with theabove, it may be desirable to take additional steps. These additionalsteps would include possibly adding a very small amount of someadditional ingredient, or withdrawing a small sample of the productcomposition. Often such an addition or sampling requires the addition orwithdrawal of a small amount of fluid, such as 1 to 5 cc of fluid. Thefemale port on male blunt cannula 700 as described above allows for theinsertion of a standard syringe and subsequent sealing of that syringeagainst the female port wall to form a seal and allow the withdrawal oraddition of a small amount of fluid. Moreover, after the product bag hasbeen filled, the male blunt cannula can be withdrawn from the septum ofthe outlet tube connector 300. Then, a syringe can be inserted andlodged within female port 710 of male blunt cannula 700 to allow for thesyringe to act on the fluid within the product bag.

Another aspect of the male blunt cannula is that it can be insertedthrough septum 440 and lodged within outlet tube connector 300 along theinside wall of outlet tube connector 300. FIG. 8 shows such a frictionfit between male blunt cannula 700 and inner wall 810 of outlet tubeconnector 300. Such a fit is encouraged by the slightly decreasinginside diameter of outlet tube connector 300 as one moves from itsdistal end toward manifold outlet port 310. Such a slightly conicalinner surface aids in the friction fit. An additional advantage of thisconfiguration is that it further reduces the common volume of themanifold because the area outside the cannula wall, but inside outlettube connector 300, shown in FIG. 8 as space 820, is removed from theflow volume.

It is noteworthy, also, that when the cannula is withdrawn from themanifold outlet tube connector 300, a vacuum is momentarily createdwithin the manifold as the cannula is pulled out and the septum preventsair from filling the volume until the cannula is completely out of theoutlet tube connector and the pressure within the system is allowed tostabilize. This vacuum can pull additional fluid which is residing inany (or all) of the feed tubes into the manifold. Such a pulling offluid is, of course, undesirable, especially in the case of the lipidline for the reasons discussed above. In order to prevent such a pullingof fluid, the check-valves should be designed such that they do notbreak at the negative pressure created when the vacuum is made uponcannula withdrawal. This is especially important for the lipid linecheck-valve which, as discussed above, in the preferred embodiment is inthe port closest to the outlet port. Thus, it is a feature of thepresent invention that the cracking pressure of the check valves (thepressure at which the check valve opens, or releases) exceed theabsolute value of the vacuum pressure created upon cannula withdrawal.In one embodiment of the invention, the cracking pressure of at leastthe check valve disposed in the lipid line (for example check-valve disk150 in center port 140) exceeds the absolute value of the vacuumpressure created upon cannula withdrawal.

Although round manifolds have been discussed and illustrated thus far,it is a part of the present invention that other shapes of manifolds canbe used. FIG. 9 shows a view of such an alternatively shaped manifold,namely a linear manifold 90 having coaxial inlet 900 (for the lipidline) defined by coaxial inlet port 920 being coaxial with outlet port910. As noted above, such a configuration minimizes the volume in whichlipid solutions can accumulate. Essentially all other parts, such asvalve housings 200 and check-valve disks 210, are the same as thosedisclosed above with respect to the round manifold configuration. Theprimary difference between this embodiment and those disclosed abovewith respect to the round manifold configuration is that no gasket isused in this embodiment and a single common flow channel 922 connectsall inlets (except coaxial inlet 900) to common central chamber 915.

FIG. 10 a shows an exploded view of manifold 90 (without any valvehousings or outlet tube connector 300), with manifold top 940 showndisposed above manifold bottom 950 and check-valve disk 925 of coaxialinlet port 920 shown disposed therebetween. FIG. 10 b shows thesecomponents of manifold 90 assembled. Of course, as above, any number ofinlets could be provided. FIGS. 10 a and 10 b illustrate a preferredembodiment having 9 total inlets, including coaxial inlet port 920.

Included as a part of the present invention is a method of minimizingerror in the filling of a product bag in a bulk compounding system. Themethod comprises the steps of providing a manifold with a minimum commonvolume to minimize residual holding of any one ingredient solution, andpassing individual ingredient solutions through the manifold to fill aproduct bag. Error is reduced because of the minimization of themanifold common volume step.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein withreference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to belimited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be madein the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claimsand without departing from the invention.

1. A manifold for receiving fluid tubes in a bulk compounder, saidmanifold comprising: a plurality of inlets, each inlet defining anopening to a respective fluid passageway, each said passagewaycontaining a check valve; a common flow channel in fluid communicationwith each said passageway; an outlet in fluid communication with saidcommon flow channel, said outlet comprising an outlet port having aself-sealing membrane adapted to be penetrated by a cannula; and aninlet port which is coaxial with said outlet, said coaxial inlet portcontaining a check-valve.
 2. The manifold of claim 1 further comprisinga central chamber in fluid communication with each said fluid passagewayfor fluidly connecting said fluid passageways to said outlet.
 3. Themanifold of claim 1 wherein said outlet comprises an outlet port havinga self-sealing membrane adapted to be penetrated by a cannula, andwherein said coaxial inlet port check-valve is adapted to have acracking pressure greater than the vacuum pressure within said outletport when the cannula is pulled from said self-sealing membrane.
 4. Themanifold of claim 3 wherein all said check-valves are adapted to have acracking pressure greater than the vacuum pressure within said outletport when the cannula is pulled from said self-sealing membrane.
 5. Themanifold of claim 1 wherein said plurality of inlets are disposedlinearly with respect to each other.
 6. A manifold set for receivingfluid tubes in a bulk compounder comprising: a manifold, said manifoldcomprising: a plurality of inlets, each inlet defining an opening to arespective fluid passageway, each said passageway containing acheck-valve; a common flow channel in fluid communication with each saidpassageway; an outlet having a self-sealing membrane, said outlet influid communication with said common flow channel said outlet comprisingan outlet port having a self-sealing membrane adapted to be penetratedby a cannula; an inlet port which is coaxial with said outlet, saidcoaxial inlet port containing a check-valve; and a cannula having atleast one male blunt tip for insertion into said self-sealing membrane.7. The manifold set of claim 6 wherein said cannula has a female port atsaid male blunt tip end for receiving an additional male tip.
 8. A tubeset for use in bulk compounding, said tube set comprising: a pluralityof pump sections, each said pump section having a distal end; aplurality of tubes, each said tube of said plurality having a distal endand proximal end, each said proximal end of each tube of said pluralityattached to said distal end of a respective pump section, and each saiddistal end of each tube of said plurality attached to a manifold, saidmanifold comprising: a plurality of inlets, each inlet defining anopening to a respective fluid passageway, each said passagewaycontaining a check-valve; a common flow channel in fluid communicationwith each said passageway; an outlet in fluid communication with saidcommon flow channel, said outlet comprising an outlet port having aself-sealing membrane adapted to be penetrated by a cannula; and aninlet port which is coaxial with said outlet, said coaxial inlet portcontaining a check-valve.
 9. The tube set of claim 8 wherein saidplurality is six.
 10. The tube set of claim 8 wherein said plurality isnine.
 11. A tube set for use in bulk compounding, said tube setcomprising: a plurality of pump sections, each said pump section havinga distal end and a proximal end; a first plurality of tubes, each saidtube of said first plurality attached to said proximal end of arespective pump section; a second plurality of tubes, each said tube ofsaid second plurality having a distal end and proximal end, each saidproximal end of each tube of said second plurality attached to saiddistal end of a respective pump section, and said distal end of eachtube of said second plurality attached to a manifold, said manifoldcomprising: a plurality of inlets, each inlet defining an opening to arespective fluid passageway, each said passageway containing acheck-valve; a common flow channel in fluid communication with each saidpassageway; an outlet in fluid communication with said common flowchannel, said outlet comprising an outlet port having a self-sealingmembrane adapted to be penetrated by a cannula; and an inlet port whichis coaxial with said outlet, said coaxial inlet port containing acheck-valve.
 12. The tube set of claim 11 wherein said first and secondplurality are both six.
 13. The tube set of claim 11 wherein said firstand second plurality are both nine.
 14. A method of minimizing error inthe filling of a product bag in a bulk compounding system, said methodcomprising the steps of: providing a manifold with a minimum commonvolume to minimize residual holding of any one ingredient solution, themanifold comprising a plurality of inlets, each inlet defining anopening to a respective fluid passageway containing a check-valve, acommon flow channel in fluid communication with each said passageway,and an outlet in fluid communication with said common flow channel, saidoutlet comprising an outlet port having a self-sealing membrane adaptedto be penetrated by a cannula; and passing individual ingredientsolutions through the manifold to fill a product bag; whereby error isreduced because of the minimization of the manifold common volume step.